Question about the TurnCrafter Commander lathe ...

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Willee

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Jul 19, 2007
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I use one for drilling blanks.
The tail stock seems sloppy as to where it clamps down and as a result the hole starts off center and is larger that the exit hole.
Has anyone figured out a way to eleminate the slop and align the tail stock so that it clamps down and will drill a hole precisely on dead center?
Am I asking to much from this low end wood lathe?
I have a nice bench top Metal lathe but dont have a four jaw chuck for it to hold a square blank for drilling.
 
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monophoto

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Mar 13, 2010
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This has been discussed here many times. There is a rectangular protrusion on the bottom of the tailstock that is intended to keep the tailstock aligned to the bedways. The root cause is that the protrusion is very slightly narrower that the spacing between the bedways. The loose fit means that the tailstock can swivel a bit before it is locked down thereby causing the problem you describe. On my Turncrafter the tailstock can rotate about 0.6 degrees; that doesn't sound like much but it is enough to cause the drill bit to enter the blank a bit off center.

There is no 'fix' but there is a workaround. With the workpiece held in a Chuck and spinning, cut a center dimple on the end using the tip of a skew. Mount the Jacobs Chuck and drill bit, and with the ram extended enough to assure that the Morse taper is fully engaged, center the tip of the drill bit in the dimple BEFORE locking the tailstock to the bedways.

I don't think this exclusively an 'undocumented feature' of Turncrafter. My sense is that it is common in lathes in this price category.
 
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henry1164

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Jan 3, 2020
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Webster, NY
I received a 12" Commander for Christmas from my wife (who is first to see any of my work and has first dibs). Drilling blanks was one of the needs for me. I obtained all of the needed tools (head stock chuck and jacobs chuck) and drilled my first blank yesterday. All went well. If I didn't lock down the tail stock I would have had a "sloppy" issue. I'm very pleased.
 

sorcerertd

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Sep 30, 2019
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North Carolina, USA
@monophoto, a center dimple... just that simple. I coulda had a V8. Glad I checked this thread and found your reply. I received a WEN lathe originally as a gift, then upgraded to a Jet1015. They both have the sloppy tailstock issue. I must try this at the very next opportunity, maybe after joining overthinkers anonymous.
 

magpens

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Feb 2, 2011
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I have a nice bench top Metal lathe but dont have a four jaw chuck for it to hold a square blank for drilling.

@Willee

If you have a 4-jaw chuck on your metal lathe you can use that lathe to drill your blanks .
But first, ROUND YOUR BLANKS using the Turning Between Centers (TBC) method.
If you don't know how to do that, do a search here on IAP ..... it has been described and shown quite a few times.

You don't actually need a 4-jaw chuck, but I agree that it is nice to have. . A 3-jaw chuck can be used but might be more limited as to blank diameter.
The real advantage of a 4-jaw chuck for pen turning is that the 4-jaw chuck usually is a bit larger than a 3-jaw chuck.
The 4-jaw chuck will accept into its throat a round blank that is up to 0.8" diameter, or a little more.
The 3-jaw chuck will only accept into its throat a round blank that is up to about 0.65" diameter.

It is important that the blanks be rounded fairly accurately first .... using the TBC method.

When drilling, you want the blank to be as far into the chuck's throat as possible .... or almost that far.
 
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